Pandion (Genera #1)

Chapter 3

T he following week was a harrowing combination of perpetual frustration, elusive motivation and sheer despair to force the bare minimum out of the ever-so reluctant Kagesawa, who was quick to lose interest and started procrastinating as soon as Harumine turned his attention away for a fraction of a second.

While waiting for Kagesawa to finish whatever side-quests he branched off to, Harumine had cleared the kitchen area and most of the living room. This meant that there was now space to prepare the meals and do the mandatory synchronisation exercises seated at an actual table with minimal clutter as distraction.

Ideally, Harumine would have wanted to spend the week anywhere but here, but he’d yet to find a hotel or an apartment with a reasonable commute that he could have afforded long term. He had an unpleasant suspicion he’d have to live with Kagesawa until something opened up, however long that took.

“Can you please pay attention?” With Kagesawa drifting off from the task at hand again, Harumine wondered how much longer he’d be able to withstand this level of frustration.

“We’re nearly done. Can’t we do the rest tomorrow?” Kagesawa yawned.

“I was hoping we could start the week with an actual work assignment.”

The synchronisation exercises and link calibration data needed to be submitted for an assessment before they could receive their empath’s licences. They needed a success rate of at least sixty-five percent to qualify. Harumine was aiming for something well above ninety as this would be marked on his so-far pristine record.

An excellent record meant better work assignments and higher pay. A properly established and nurtured link also increased their working efficiency. He absolutely needed this to be the best score possible to salvage the situation.

“What’s the rush? It’s not like there’s a shortage of assignments. We’ll probably have a score of over eighty percent with your effort alone, and I’ve made do with as low as sixty-eight before.” Kagesawa was toying with a piece of paper.

“That’s hardly something to be proud of.” Harumine sighed. I was projected to reach ninety-eight percent in my last exam, so you’d better get your shit together and not drag me down.

Although Harumine tried to stick to his usual polite output while speaking out loud, he couldn’t resist venting through the link.

Kagesawa glanced at him, frowning briefly, but instead of commenting, he merely shrugged. He could definitely hear the words, but perhaps because the tone was decidedly different from Harumine’s usual mild manners, he was choosing to ignore it. He’d also yet to project anything back, so, either he lacked the skill or didn’t care.

Do you want to live in this dump forever? With a score of over ninety, Harumine would be able to afford to buy an apartment within the year instead of renting for the rest of his life.

“I don’t care about the money, I just want to live my life like I’m living it now, in peace,” Kagesawa finally said.

The laid back exterior might have fooled anyone else, but a heavy scent of melancholy was now unmistakable through the link. Harumine was taken aback by how painful it felt: it was as if someone had banged his chest with a mallet. Apparently, Kagesawa wasn’t as immune to criticism as the initial impression had suggested.

Usually one would take care to not let strong emotions through without at least a bit of cushioning, but the man didn’t seem to care. Maybe his previous partners had had such lousy links they’d never complained? Or perhaps he’d forgotten how bad this could feel through a properly functioning link?

“Fine, I’ll try my best, but I can’t recall when I’ve last scored anything higher than seventy-five. Because it’s your first link, we might reach an average of eighty-two, eighty-three at most, if the stars align.” Kagesawa leaned back and tossed the crumpled piece of paper he’d been shaping. It landed short of the hat on the floor at the other end of the room.

As for the calibration the following morning, the data analysis gave Harumine and Kagesawa a success rate of 78.7%. Kagesawa seemed in good spirits, but despite a lengthy inner pep talk and multiple attempts of attitude adjustment, Harumine was brooding, seething even. He’d never in his life imagined getting such a low score in anything, much less when it mattered the most!

78.7% was nowhere near enough to find a decent apartment in this area, not unless he pushed for maximum overtime. Kagesawa would never agree to it. In fact, it would be a miracle if he could be persuaded to work the standard hours.

“I really don’t mind us living together. I’ll empty the second bedroom for you and try not to get on your nerves.” He was being unexpectedly courteous and accommodating, but considering the situation was so clearly all his fault, any amount of kindness or remorse after the fact seemed disingenuous.

Harumine returned to the apartment and started clearing out and organising the rest of the common areas. If he was going to be living here full time, he had no choice but to make it livable for himself.

“It’s not a bad score. I have a friend who can bump it up a few points if it makes you feel better. It’s fine. You did great! How about a pint down at the pub? Let’s celebrate!” Kagesawa patted Harumine on the back.

“I don’t drink.” Harumine was also very much not in the mood to celebrate a colossal failure. His former classmates would have died from either laughter or secondary embarrassment had they heard. The only saving grace was that the scores were confidential.

“Well, do you mind if I go for a bit? I won’t be long.” Kagesawa had mentioned wanting to go for a pint from time to time the past week, but despite his whining, he’d been decent enough to stay and do the exercises instead. It hadn’t translated to much, but he’d made an effort.

“Sure,” Harumine said, though only because he wanted to be left alone for a while. He’d clean the place up and go to sleep early. Maybe with a proper night’s sleep he’d figure out a plan to either reform Kagesawa or, if that proved impossible, file the request for a partner switch.

In any case, it would be a while before he had something positive to write home about. His family were probably expecting to hear from him, but wrapped up in this depressing fiasco, he’d have to delay that correspondence for as long as he could.